Archive for March 7th, 2011

Wow, I’ve completed the first 7 days of the Me-Made-March challenge, and so far so good. I’ve made good on my promise to be here on Monday to post my photos, so let’s dig right in!

March 1st

For the first day of the challenge I chose to go with this outfit. The Me made portions of the outfit consist of the purple knit racerback top (which is a deliciously soft knit, I love it!), the reconstructed pleated skirt, and the legwarmers. The undershirt and the tights were purchased. The skirt is the first item I’ve made this month, specifically to wear for MMM, and with this tank. It used to be a pair of pants that I never wore because the previous owner did a little reconstructing of their own and attempted to make them very skinny pants. I love the colors of the plaid though, and was perfect for this outfit with the subtle purple stripes throughout.

March 2nd

This outfit actually has four handmade items in it! The grey dress (which is actually a very very fine weave of black and white, but may as well be grey) is one that I’ve made from my first and only tried and true commercial pattern, Simplicity 3673. I love the shaping on the pattern, with six darts on the front and 6 more on the back to shape it into a very full skirt. I added a lining for the skirt with a ruffle of tulle at the bottom for a little fluff there. On top there are actually two layers of black, a reconstructed black shrug from a cozy cashmere sweater and a knit fleece cropped hoodie with an oversized hood. I love these two basic black cropped pieces and they are honestly probably the handmade pieces I wear the most in my day to day. They’re both warm and cozy, and when I wear them together I can skip the heavy overcoat even when it’s cold! The fourth item is the purse, but you can’t really see it in the photo. It’s a mashup of black velvet, white glitter vinyl and lace.

March 3rd

Kind of a blah outfit here, not too much to say. The skirt is a kinda refashion, but more of an alteration. I didn’t like or fit the original waistband and the side zipper was broken so the top was remade. The longsleeve white top, black racerback tank, and leggings were all made from raw material. I included a detail picture of the tank because I love the texture and opacity of the black top over the white one.

March 4th

Slacks! It was starting to look like a month of dresses and skirts around here! These are some of the only slacks I have sewn (aside from leggings and pajamas). I’ve already picked out some fabric to make some more slacks to get me through the month, as I’m starting to miss my jeans. These green slacks have great big wide legs, which I love. They were my first experience with making front pockets with pocket yokes and sewing a zipper fly. I was nervous starting out, but it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought! I made these months ago, and I’ve worn them many times since then. The longsleeve shirt and the sleeveless overshirt were both made by me as well. The top shirt was a reconstruction from a men’s polo shirt. It’s a delightful plush velour that makes this outfit nice and cozy!

March 5th

This black and white ruffle skirt is one of my favorite handmade pieces. it’s layers of linen, sequin linen, pinstripe suiting, and white cotton eyelet. It has a fun swing and is great for dancing.The black top has an over-sized white lined hood, bell sleeves, and delightfully long ties. I’m also wearing a longsleeve knit top I made in dark grey. I love these tights (my purchased item in this outfit), and in the detail shot you can see my fun houndstooth nails! in my hair I have a matching houndstooth hair bow I made.

March 6th

For a lazy Sunday I chose this comfortable skirt and tank, all handmade by me. The tank top is a warm and crazy soft sweater knit that I also made these extra long skinny scarves out of. The skirt is two layers of of woven fabric cut into a square “circle” skirt with a thick drawstring waist. The drawstring is actually three very long strings drawn together. The whole skirt has a rough feel with unhemmed serged edges.

March 7th

This top is another men’s polo shirt reconstruction. I just really like the wide variety of colors, patterns, and weights and textures available for men’s polo shirts. They also tend to be the easiest to reconstruct with because they’re just large squares primarily. I combined the xlrg men’s polo with a woman’s heathered grey vneck t shirt. The polo shirt’s short sleeves made up the bust portion, and the collar made the underbust band. the very wide shirt gathered nicely for some detail on the sides of the front and the center of the back. A little bow sits center back just above the gathers. The skirt I’m wearing with it is a simple circle skirt of black eyelet cotton. The leggings and socks were purchased, but I made the earrings myself!